Our New Timetable

 

Over the course of the next financial year, we will operate more services than at the start of the franchise. We are seeking to eventually operate 10 trains per hour during the currency of the December 2025 timetable, including the full rollout of two trains per hour on the Liverpool route – driving connectivity and growth across the UK.

 

We've introduced more services across our routes as part of a new September timetable. 

Building on the progress of the last change in May this year, an additional 86 trains per week have been added within the new timetable, equating to over 38,000 additional seats – an increase of 3.8 percent. 

From the launch date of 15 September, the enhancement of services means that for the first time we will be running more services than December 2019, with a new total of 2,045 trains operating across its network per week. 

Those travelling between London and Liverpool will benefit from the greatest uplift in services, with an extra 36 trains per week scheduled to run between these destinations. These will provide customers with the variety of a half-hourly service in some of the busier travelling hours, an improvement on the previous timetable which offered one train per hour throughout the majority of the week. 

Enhancements have also been made to the number of services between London and the Midlands, with customers travelling on this route having 26 more trains per week to choose from. 

The increase on both these routes has been made possible following the introduction of Avanti West Coast’s new Evero fleet – a £350m investment of 13 bi-mode and 10 electric trains, the final of which came into service in June. Up to 20 trains from the new Evero fleet are scheduled to run per day from 15 September as part of the new timetable, offering customers a quieter, greener and more comfortable journey. 

Other routes that have benefited from the changes include an increase in direct services to and from Manchester and Chester – with both destinations benefitting from a new weekly southbound service to London that departs later than the last train of the day in the previous timetable. The additional services between Chester and the capital will also offer greater connectivity options for customers travelling to and from North Wales. 

Highlights of the new timetable include: 

  • Liverpool – an additional 36 trains per week to and from London, with calling points for Tamworth and Lichfield Trent Valley on 35 of these services, improving connectivity between these regions and the capital by 40 percent. 

  • Birmingham and the Midlands – an additional 26 trains per week, made up of 20 weekday services, four on Saturday and two on Sunday. 

  • Manchester – two extra trains per day added to the weekday timetable, including a new last train of the day for customers travelling southbound. Travelling north, the additional service will provide more later travel options for customers departing from Nuneaton and Macclesfield. 

  • Chester – customers can now benefit from an hourly service to and from Chester in both directions during the week with the addition of two extra services per day, also improving connectivity between London and North Wales. At the weekend, the two additional services on both Saturday and Sunday will further enhance connectivity for customers travelling to and from North Wales.